This unit is organized thematically. Part 1 studies solitude, loneliness, and alienation using stories by Camus, Flaubert, and Rosa, and poems by Chisato. Part 2 looks at social connections and family relationships through works by Chief Seattle, Achebe, Nicol, and Hauptmann. Part 3 examines social responsibility in works by Orwell, Yevtushenko, Ibsen, and Mishima. Part 4 presents the search for truth and meaning through such authors as Tolstoy, Brecht, and Pasternak. Volume 2 includes information on cultures and literary traditions and incorporates Internet activities. This text covers literature from Europe, Asia, South America, and Africa. World literature, social studies, and global studies classes will find this unit meaningful.

The topics addressed in the text include Camus’s characterization and structure, Zen parables and world ethics, and Russian humor. Literary texts addressed include An Enemy of the People, The Sound of Waves, and Galileo.

Lessons assume previous instruction in elements of fiction and poetry, as well as in composition. Basic approaches to the genres and to composition, as well as lessons on classical and English-language literature are available in a variety of other Center for Learning units.

Use Center for Learning novel/drama units to enhance your approach to world literature by including great novels and plays from around the globe.

• Anna Karenina
• Hedda Gabler
• A Doll’s House
• In the Time of the Butterflies
• Les Miserables
• One Hundred Years of Solitude

See our Novel/Drama section for additional titles.

Academic activities include discussions, journals, projects, worksheets, reading, research, group work, and essay writing.